


i'm coming home

by Homeistheimpala



Category: Captain America (Movies), Post Winter Soldier - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), fluff - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, M/M, idk this kind of started as a head canon and became well this, in which bucky and clint have an epic friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-24 23:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1621049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Homeistheimpala/pseuds/Homeistheimpala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which bucky and clint form a friendship and natasha tells bad jokes and jarvis doesn't let anyone cheat on the poll on how long it will take bucky and steve to make out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm coming home

**Author's Note:**

> i have finals so i wrote this instead  
> it's unbeta'd and written at 4am  
> really lame jokes stolen from https://twitter.com/thoselamejokes

 

It starts with a drunk Clint Barton.

Its been a few months since Bucky has been _Bucky_ again and he’s still not comfortable with the Avengers. He likes them, sure, and maybe they even like him but Bucky can’t shake away the feeling that maybe they’d like the real Bucky, Pre-Winter Soldier Bucky, better.

So when Clint Barton of all people throws himself on the couch beside Bucky and says, “I’m a better shot than you!”, Bucky doesn’t really know how to reply.

“Let’s go a few rounds, right now!” Clint demands. Bucky looks around awkwardly but the rest of the team only spare him amused looks.

“You sure you wanna do it right now, pal? I mean, you’re sort of drunk.”

Clint looks him straight in the eye and says, “Don’t be nice, it doesn’t suit you.” before getting up and walking towards the shooting range. (Bucky will never get over the fact that he lives in a building that has a shooting range.)

Bucky follows him. Despite his drunken state, the archer seems to be able to stride in straight line.

The shooting range is big and spacious and Clint moves like he knows this place better than the back of his hand. He waves at an assortment of rifles.

“Choose your weapon.”

Bucky does and raises his eyebrows at Clint’s bow. Clint simply shrugs at him and they enter the range.

Technology never ceases to amazing Bucky but Stark technology amazes him even more. Suddenly, the room is filled with moving hologram targets. A hologram board has appeared and it already says Barton 2 Barnes 3 as hologram bullets and arrows fill the air.

They quickly move their scores to double then triple digits. It’s easier when the targets aren’t shooting back. They’re scores are close together, neither one gets the lead for long before the other catches up. They’re nearing double digits when the holograms pause and Jarvis’s voice fills the room.

“Sirs, sorry to interrupt but Captain Rogers has insisted you both join them for dinner.”

“Thank, Jarvis. Resume it, we’ll be there.” Clint says, wiping sweat off his brow.

“Very well.” Jarvis almost sighs and the targets start moving again.

“To the thousand?” Clints smirks. Bucky responds by shooting an inch beside Clint and they resume.

They reach the thousand together and call it a draw and leave the room before Steve gives them his Disappointed Look. If they look a little more comfortable, no one comments on it.

*

It becomes a more or less daily thing. When he’s not sparring with Natasha and Steve, he’s shooting with Clint. They change their weapons and Bucky tries the arrow but it doesn’t feel right. It’s fun and it takes his mind off things like Steve and the other Avengers and, really, why be social when you can shoot stuff?

He tells Clint this and Clint laughs so hard, he almost lets Bucky win. Almost.

The next day, when he arrives at the range, Stark and Banner are there too. Bucky raises an eyebrow at Clint and Clint shrugs.

“We’re here for maintenance, no need to do your whole Eyebrow Of Doom thing.” Stark says absently.

“I don’t have eyebrows of doom.” Bucky protests.

“Yes, you do. Bruce, tell him.” Tony says. Banner shrugs.

“There’s nothing wrong with your eyebrows.” he reassures him. There’s an awkward silence but thankfully, Stark breaks it.

“Well, this is awkward. It would help if you didn’t look so tortured and gloomy.” Tony says, looking accusingly at Bucky. Bucky didn’t really have an excuse for that but it seems like a reply wasn’t needed as Tony continues talking.

“Most of the time, you’re fine and then you get this expression and you close up and everything becomes like at least 12% more awkward.

“Well-” Bucky starts but Tony cuts him off.

“No, shush. Listen, buddy, pal, friend, we’re not gonna-” Tony stops mid-sentence and stares at Bucky. Everyone automatically goes on defense and looks around for the thing that made Tony stop talking.

“We need to get you a phone.” Stark says finally and everyone relaxes.

And that’s how Bucky spent 3 hours learning how to use a Stark Phone.

*

Tony has made special contact lens for them. He got the idea from the implant in the eyes of the Hydra operatives.

“Basically, you have your own personal JARVIS during missions, which is very incredibly helpful.” Tony says proudly.

However, during their next mission, beside the temperature and all that, Bucky finds a digital scoreboard. It reads Barton 7 Barnes 8 and suddenly, Bucky is a lot more invested in killing evil balloons.

*

**Barton 265 Barnes 547**

“Wanna talk about it?” Clint’s voice fills his ears as Bucky shoots at another 5 minions. Literally, short, green, hunchbacked minions. What the actual fuck?

“I don’t follow.” Bucky grits out.

“The rest can’t hear us. You know what I’m talking about. Your fight with the boyfriend. 300, take that, Barnes.”

“Explosives should be labelled cheating and I’m way ahead of you, Barton.”

“Whatever. Trouble in super soldier heaven?” Clint says.

“Since when do you wanna talk about my love life?” Bucky snaps.

“Since it’s starting to irritate me, dumbass.”

“If Steve wants to go on fucking suicide missions, that’s his choice.” Bucky says, throwing a grenade down the building at a cluster of minions. “If Steve wants to flirt with the pretty birds flocking around him, he can.”

Clint doesn’t answer and Bucky sighs. He tries not to linger on it until Clint is unceremoniously dropped beside him by Stark, who flies off after petting Bucky.

Stark just petted Bucky.

“What the fuck?”

“You remind me of birds.” Stark says over the comm, sounding too fond.

“When all this is over, you and Cap are gonna have a nice, long talk.” Clint says before making the comms open to everyone.

“No.” Bucky says just as Steve says, “Where did you two go?”

“Didn’t want you guys to hear us make out.” Clint said casually and ran off, shooting arrow, as Bucky glared after him.

There was stunned silence on the other end.

“He’s kidding.” Bucky says finally.

“It’s- I mean, it’s alright-okay if you were. Well, not really, I mean, mission and all but you know- I mean, apart from that, it should be-”

“Don’t strain yourself, Cap.” Natasha adds cheerfully.

“You know I prefer blondes, Steve.” Bucky says, just as a mothership, a motherfucking mothership, appears.

*

“Tony, I would just like to say,” Bucky says later that night. “That I am glad as fuck that you’d didn’t turn into an evil scientist who created minions. Kudos. You deserve a fucking medal. You too, Banner.”

The rest of the team grunts their approval and Stark and Banner look way too pleased with themselves.

“If we did, you guys would be long gone.” Stark says smugly and no one has the energy to disagree with him.

Natasha is lounging on an armchair with Clint on the floor between her legs. Bucky and Steve are occupying a couch, with Steve sleeping against Bucky’s real arm. Tony sitting on the table and Bruce is soon sleeping peacefully on a couch.

Bucky doesn’t feel like cold is in his blood. For once, he is warm.

*

Thor loud and larger than life. It’s like having their own personal sun inside the Tower. Thor never stays for long, but whenever he visits, he makes the most of his time and becomes sadder as the day to go back to Asgard comes closer.

His last day this time around is quiet, with a movie night. Bucky wouldn’t have been able to tell you what they watched but he knows Natasha laughed at a really lame joke. And that Stark gets all the references and explains it quietly to Steve. He knows that there are moments when Clint finds something hilarious and catches Bucky’s eye and they both dissolve into laughter. He knows that Banner is surprisingly good at innuendos and that Thor is actually a very attentive and smart watcher.

*

Thing is, this feeling for Steve isn’t exactly new. Its as familiar as his name, even more so, because even when he didn’t know his own name, he knew this feeling.

The problem was that Steve might reciprocate and Bucky wasn’t that selfish. He couldn’t be. He would take what he could get but he couldn’t ask Steve to sacrifice himself like that.

But it’s stolen moments like these that make Bucky want to be selfish, that him just want to take.

Because Steve is curled up on an armchair, freshly showered with wet hair and soft clothes, lazily sketching something. Bucky just wants to lean over and kiss him. Find out for himself if his skin is actually as soft as it looks right now, which is an absolutely ridiculous though, jesus fucking christ.

Except Steve looks up and sees the way Bucky is looking at him and Bucky sees something similar spark in his eyes and no. He gets up.

“Where’re you going?” Steve calls out. Bucky ignores the disappointment in his voice.

“To shoot stuff with Barton.” Bucky says, walking away quickly.

Clint’s not at the range yet so Bucky waits.

“Hey, Jarvis?” He says after a while.

“Yes, sir?” Jarvis’s clear voice replies instantly.

“Do you think I should make out with Captain America?”

“Well, sir, I think it’s a sound choice.”

“How so?” Bucky frowns. He wasn’t seriously having this conversation with an AI, was he?

“Well, Mr. Stark, Agent Romanoff, Doctor Banner and Agent Barton are all sure it’s inevitable. Thor is under an assumption it has already happened. There’s even a poll. If the people who care most for you think it’s a good choice, it should be a good choice.” Hearing Jarvis say it, it makes a lot more sense.

“Polls? Who’s leading?” Bucky asks.

“Me, obviously.” Clint says as he enters.

“What’s your bet?”

“That you two will have your tongues down each others throats before Christmas.” Clint says cheerfully.

It wasn’t until they were done that Bucky asked Clint in a soft voice.

“Do you think I deserve him?

“The way I see it,” Clint says, shrugging. “If it was about deserving, the world would be a very different place. And when it comes to love, it’s never about who deserves who. They’re not a prize. It’s about respect. And you have to respect his choice, because he’s the only who should make it. The fact that you two are unnecessarily unhappy is seriously the dumbest fucking thing ever.”

Bucky considers this.

“So who’s the runner up on the poll?” he says finally and Clint grins.

*

Natasha was unstoppable. They asked forgiveness for any sins as she smirked and opened her mouth again.

“Oh, god, please, no.” Tony groaned.

“What do you call a goat that plays guitar?” She barrels on over Tony.

“A really smart goat?” Bruce says while Clint and Bucky snicker.

“Butter fingers!” Steve reads out triumphantly and looks at Bucky. Bucky grins back as he and Clint dissolve into fits of laughter while Tony sighs very loudly and Bruce smiles patiently.

“I’m gonna kill you two.” Tony says.

“And yet, you’re not leaving.” Natasha says simply.

“What do you call a fake noodle?” Steve says.

“An impasta!” Natasha spits out and even Tony cracks a smile at that.

“What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?”

“Jesus Fucking Christ.” Tony yells.

*

It’s Bucky’s birthday and Hydra strikes.

There’s chaos and Bucky keeps counting heads every 15 minutes. It’s only when five heads become four that Bucky starts to panic.

“Steve?” he calls out frantically and there’s no answer over the comms.

“Shit.” Stark says.

“Guys, I have eyes on Rogers. He looks pretty beat up, there are around 50 super soldiers swarming him.” Clint says.

“Where?” Bucky takes off before Clint even finishes the sentence. His heart is beating out of his chest as he fights his way to the third floor. He should never have left the punk alone and now they were outnumbered and outgunned and he couldn’t see Steve through the crowd, only a blur of blue.

Bucky fought his way to the middle. He fought dirty, pulling hair, biting, kicking, screaming.

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Steve says as they fight back to back.

“Yeah, yeah.” Bucky grunts, throwing a knife into a soldiers eye.

“We’re losing.” Stark says over the comms.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Bucky says and Steve looks at him weird.

“Where’s your comm?”

Steve feels his ear.

“I must have dropped it.”

“Great, as Stark was saying, we’re losing. What do we do?”

Steve takes a deep breath.

“We fight.”

“Sugar, we’re going down swingin’” Tony says.

**Barton 2,928 Barnes 3,001**

*

The tide turns in their when lightening strikes and Thor and his army descendes. They are carrying no magical weapons, lest Hyrda get their hands on those.

It ends and it’s raining and there’s blood everywhere, even in the air, but at least they’re all alive. They don’t reconvene, walking away from the wreckage with Natasha and Clint entering a room, with Thor flying to Jane and Tony to Pepper and Banner becoming Bruce again and looking too tired. He leaves without a word, except to inform them he’s going to be at Betty’s.

Then it’s only Steve and Bucky and they shower and change and curl up on the couch. Bucky falls asleep to Steve’s heartbeat under his ear.

*

Bucky wakes up to Clint knocking on his forehead. He opens his eyes and there are way too many people in the room so he closes them again.

“Happy belated birthday, fuck face.”

“Go away.”

“Nope. Get up. Steve’s looking really hot. Oh, no, a guy is hitting on him.”

Bucky cracks open an eye to find steve talking to Fury.

“Are you suggesting Fury is hitting on Steve?”

Clint shrugs and Bucky decides to get up. It has nothing to do with how good Steve looks in a white button down.

Bucky stumbles into the washroom, mumbling thanks when people wish him. He washes his face and is still too sleepy for this shit.

Still, he goes out. Cuts a cake, opens presents. He doesn’t even know how to feel because he’s never had so many people.

It’s only later, as he’s getting to sleep, finally, that he’s cornered by Steve.

“Hey.” Steve says.

“Hey?”

“I’m gonna do a thing.”

“Okay.”

And Steve leans in and kisses him, as simple as that. Bucky’s body betrays him and responds enthusiastically but even his brain can’t come up with a single reason to say no, to move away.

His back hits the wall and he pulls back, looking into Steve’s eyes.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” And then Bucky kisses him and Steve stumbles back a step. That’s how Clint finds them, half an hour later, making out lazily against the corridor door.

“YES!” Clint screams. “JARVIS, PLEASE NOTE THAT AGENT BARTON HAS WON THE POLL.”

Suddenly, the speakers burst with noise.

“NO FUCKING WAY.” Stark screeches as Bruce says, “Finally.”

“I WAS SECOND IN THE POLL. MY BET WAS THAT YOU TWO WOULD KISS BEFORE YOUR BIRTHDAY. WHAT THE FUCK, YOU SHIT HEADS.”

Bucky winks at Clint and then goes back to kissing Steve. He has a lot of time to make up for.

*

“You don’t really believe you’re worthy of all this, do you?” says the scientist. Bucky gives him the most bored stare he could muster up.

“These friends, this life.” The scientist continues and Bucky is literally going to die of boredom. “You were destined to be the Winter Soldier and now, you will be my soldier. You’re nothing more than a-”

“Buddy.” Clint says. “Shove a cactus up your anus.” And he lets the arrow go through the scientists head.

“Took you long enough. I felt he was going to talk me to death.” Bucky says as Steve undoes his straps. Steve grins at him and really, Bucky shouldn’t feel so happy.

Except he does.

**Barton 98 Barnes 98**

 


End file.
